Carton



Jan. 23, 1945. w, H, |NMAN 2,367,780

CARTON Filed June 22, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 'i-ZgAZORNEH/S Jan. 23,1945. w INMAN 2,367,780

CARTON Filed June'22, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I mvsmox BY W M PatentedJan. 23, 1945 CARTON William H. Inman, Newark, N. Y., assignor toBloomer-Bros; Company porationof New York Application June 22, 1940,Serial No. 341,947

3 Claims.

This invention relates to containers for articlesv such, for example, asfood products, made of cardboard or like material, capable of being cutinto blanks from a stock sheet and folded, set up and secured incontainer form.

One object of the invention is to provide a container of the abovecharacter having a strong, practicable construction, capable of beingmanufactured economically from a minimum of material. Another object ofthe invention is tov provide such containers made from blanks soarranged and shaped that they may be cut from a stock sheet in abuttingrelation to one another, with a minimum wastage of stock.

A further object is the provision of containers of the above characterhaving also a construction which adapts the folded portions to bemanually-and readily detached and unfoldedinto substantially flatcondition, to free the contents for ready access.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvementsand combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter-more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the endof the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view showing two carton blanks embodying the presentinvention arranged as cut from a stock sheet shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a view of one of the blanks detached;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the carton set up from suchblanks;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on the line 4a-4a in Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of thecarton;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on the line Ba-iia in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary top. plan view, partly in section, of a detailshownin Fig. 5.;

Figs. 8 and 9 are fragmentary views of cooperating closure lockingmeans;

Fig. 10 shows a blank of modified construction;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of. a carton partly set up from the blankof Fig. 10;v

Fig. 12. is a similar view showing the carton set up and closed;

Fig. 13 is an enlargedsectional elevation on the line l3a-I3a of Fig.12;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line l4al4a in Fig. 10,and

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional plan view on the line l5a--I5a inFig. 13.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate thesame parts.

The invention is embodiedin.the;present.in--

, Newark, N. Y., a corstance, by way. of illustratiomin acontainenmadefrom a. cardboard blank out, scored, folded, set up andglued to form aicarton. having tapered.

sides and. a filling opening at its top, of. the. vari ety knownas.a.pail,. and commonly employed for distributing food products, suchasice cream, as Well. in a blankfor. making the. same,

The. blank for forming the carton is shown in. Fig. 1 in the arrangementin which itis cut. from a sheet of stock, and: in.Fig..2itisSeparatedand glued ready to be set up- This blank maybe madev of anyfoldable cardboard. or. like material of suitablethickness and characterfor such purposes, aswellunderstood in the art, andcomprisesarectangular bottom portion 28,. with oppositely extending, tapered sidewalls 2! and. 22. adapted. to be folded. upwardly from the bottom along.

score lines 23 and 24, respectively. Side wall 2|. has oppositelyextending, tapered side flaps 25 and 26,. formed by folding. along thescore lines 2 1 and 28 therebetween. Side walls 2| and 22- sure flap 29and side flaps 25 and 2E arev extended.

to vform inner top. closure flaps 3B and 3|, respectively, havin a. sizeand shape capable of substantially closing the top filling opening ofthecarton.

Side wall 22 is extended at opposite sides to form the relatively narrowside flaps 32 and 33- folded therefrom about the score lines 34 and 35.-Side wall 22 is extended to form also an outer top closure flap 36, andside flaps 32 and 33 areextended to. form small strengthening top flaps31 and 38.

The bottom 20- has opposite extensions 39 and 40 folded upwardly aboutscore lines 4! and. 42 to form partsv of the side walls of the carton inthe. position hereafter described.

It will benoted that side flaps 32 and 33 have outeredges 43'and 44lying substantially parallel, in blank form, with the outer edges 45 and46 of the cooperating side flaps 25 and 26,. respec tively. That is, theshape of said flaps 32 and 33 is made complementary to the shape ofsidefiaps 25 and 26 so that, as indicated in Fig. 1, the blanks are ofgenerally trapezoidal shape-with opposite; parallel basesv and.relatively: inclined opposite sides, as shown, and may be successivelycut from the stock sheet 41, in alternately reversed, substantiallyabutting relation, so as to employ a minimum quantity of stock in thecartons and reduce wastage to a While it is preferred to employ theparallel relation referred to above, and maintain the outer side flapsand 25 of substantially the full size and shape of the correspondingside walls, it is contemplated that other relations of such size edgesmay be employed within the described complementary principle.

In setting up the carton, side walls 2| and 22 are erected, therelatively narrow side flaps 32 and 33 are folded inwardly to form theadjacent or intermediate side walls, and side flaps 25 and 26 are foldedinwardly and glued in overlapping relation on the outer sides of flaps32 and 33, respectively, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 6 of the drawings.Bottom flaps 39 and 40 are brought up and glued in overlapping relationon the outer sides of flaps 25 and 25, as shown, thus forming a strong,fluid tight bottom structure. To this end the bottom edges of all of theside flaps are preferably cut to include a slightly enlarged angle withthe adjacent fold lines of the flaps so that their bottom edges extenddownwardly toward the outer edges to maintain tight engagement with thebottom 20 of the carton, adjacent each other, and within the bottomflaps 39 and 40.

It has been found that the narrow width of said flaps 32 and 33,particularly adjacent their tops, may be 'made practicable by providingthem with top fiaps 31 and 38 which overlap and are glued to theundersides of the adjacent large top closure flaps and 3|, as shown inFigs. 4 and 7. With this construction, there is provided a continuity offibrous structure around the adjacent corner of the carton, and the topsof the narrow side flaps 32 and 33 are continued up above the fillingopening and stayed to the substantial flaps 30 and 3|, thus affording arelatively strong top corner structure, for resisting strains imposedduring the filling of the carton, for example.

- In this form of the invention, the top flaps 31 and 38 are preferablyshaped, as shown in Fig. '7, so as to project as at 48 sufficientlybeyond the edge of the adjacent flap 3| to closely engage the adjacentside wall 2|, to form a tight corner closure.

After the carton has been filled, the inner top closure fiaps 3D and 3|are folded down on the contents, and then the outer top closure flaps 29and 36 are folded down as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, and a novellocking means is provided for immovably locking these flaps together,such locking means forming the subject matter of my Letters Patent No.2,342,543, dated February 22, 1944. This locking means, as shown inFigs. 8 and 9, preferably comprises a curved slit 49 cut in one flap, as36, so as to form an outwardly projecting and tapered tab 50 havingundercut side portions forming projecting shoulders 5| adjacent itsbase. The other flap, as 29, is preferably formed with an outwardlyprojecting and tapered tongue 52, at the base of which is cut a curvedslit 53 of slightly less length and effective span than the width of tab50 across its shoulders 5|. The base of the tongue at the ends of theslit is preferably scored along lines 54, to facilitate bending of thetongue.

As the flaps 29 and 36 are brought together, the outer end of fiap isdepressed so as to open the slit 49 and leave tab 50 in a relativelyraised position. Tongue 52 is then depressed and inserted under tab 50in tight engagement at it sides with the ends of slit 49. At the sametime, slit 53 is similarly opened for the reception of tab 50 which isslightly compressed by bending, so that shoulders 5| spring past theends of the slit 53 and then expand and interlock therewith. Thisprovides multiple and tight engagement between flaps 29 and 36 at fourspaced points, namely, the ends of slits 49 and 53, so as to hold theflaps immovably interlocked and alined with one another and so preventany twisting or distortion of the pail, which might tend to causeopening at its joints and leakage of the contents.

It has been further found that the efiicient type of constructiondescribed above also affords another advantageous way of constructing apail of the general type disclosed in Patent No. 1,908,251, granted tome and Harrison C. Bloomer; that is, one capable of being readilyunfolded and collapsed to render the contents accessible. This form ofthe present invention is particularly illustrated in Figs. 10 to 15,inclusive, of the drawings.

In the blank for this modification, which is of the same general shapedescribed above, as illustrated in rig. 10, the bottom portion 60 hassimilar bottom naps ill and 62, with side walls 63 and 64, and thelatter have similar pairs of side fiaps b5 and and 6'! and 58,respectively. However, the relative positions of the inner and outer topclosure flaps are reversed, in that the pair of inner top closure fiaps69 and ID are folded from the side walls 63 and 64, while the outer,interlocking top closure flaps 1| and 12 are folded from the side flapsG5 and 65. The flap I0 is preferably short, as shown, and flap 69 issubstantially the same size as the filling opening, while outer fiaps Hand "i2 complete the closure as in the case of flaps 29 and 36 of thefirst modification, and are secured together by the same interlockingmeans.

In this modification also the narrow side flaps 57' and 68 are extendedto provide top closure flaps i3 and '14, generally similar to flaps 3'!and 38 in the first modification, and these flaps are glued to the outertop closure fiaps H and 12, with the same advantages, except that inthis modification the inner top closure flaps form a tight closure forthe filling opening, and flaps l3 and i4 lie within the outlines offiaps 7| and i2.

In this modification also the inner surfaces of side flaps 65 and 66 arepreferably weakened by any suitable form of scoring or punching, alonglines '15 and i6 extending adjacent the edges of naps 5| and 68, for thepurpose of terminating and directing any stripping of the surface fibersas the side naps are separated in collapsing the carton.

The bottom flaps 6| and 62 of this modification are preferably glued tothe outer surfaces of the outer side fiaps 65 and 66 over a portion onlyof the area of fiaps 5| and 62, as indicated at l! and is, leaving thefree portions 19 and adapted to be grapsed for stripping flaps 5| and 62free from the side flaps.

Except for the changes noted above, this modification is set up, filled,and closed as described above in connection with the first modification.When this modification is opened, the outer top closure flaps H and 2provide readily unfolded portions, kept free from the contents by theinner closure flaps 69 and H1, so that they are not softened by theliquid contents and may also be grasped without soiling the fingers.These flaps H and 12 thus serve as portions which may be convenientlygrasped and pulled outwardly and downwardly to strip the side flaps 65and 66 from their glued attachment to the inner side flaps 61 and B8. Inthis operation the top flaps l3 and 14 remain united with fiaps H and 12and are readily torn from the side fiaps 6i and 68 along the line offold therewith, while the side flaps 6? and 68 are retained by the sidewall 64 and their adhesion to the contents of the pail. This separationof the side flaps is facilitated by the narrow width and relativelysmall area of the side flaps 61 and B8.

In the operation of this modification, after unlocking and raising thetop fiaps H and "12, the free portions 19 and 80 of the bottom fiaps aregrasped and pulled until the bottom fiaps are freed from the side walls,as shown in Fig. 11. Then the top flaps H and 12 are grasped and pulledoutwardly and downwardly as above described, to separate the side flaps,after which the side walls 63 and 64 may be moved outwardly to collapsethe blank and free the contents, as above described.

The described embodiments thus accomplish the purposes of the inventionand while such embodiments have been disclosed in detail, by way ofillustration of the principles involved, it is contemplated that theinvention is capable of other embodiments. The invention is not to belimited, therefore, to the precise constructions disclosed, but isintended to comprise variations and modifications thereof falling withinthe scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tapered container formed from a onepiece folded cardboard blank ofgenerally trapezoidal shape capableof being cut from a stock sheet inalternately reversed, substantially abutting positions to reduce wastageand comprising a bottom, a pair of tapered side walls extending fromopposite sides of said bottom toward the parallel bases of said blank,respectivelyfa pair of relatively narrow side flaps extending oppositelyfrom said side wall adjacent the narrow base of said blank, a secondpair of relatively wide side flaps extending oppositely from said otherside wall adjacent the wide base of said blank and overlapping and gluedto the outer side of said first pair of side flaps to form a second pairof side walls, the area of gluing of said side fiaps being limited bythe width of said narrow side flaps to facilitate stripping the sameapart, a pair of flaps extending oppositely from said bottom andoverlapping and partially glued to the outer sides of said second pairof side walls but having a free portion adapted to be grasped forstripping the same free of said side walls, a pair of inner top closurefiaps on said first pair of side walls, a pair of outer top closureflaps on the outer side flaps of said second pair of side walls providedwith means for interlocking engagement with each other and, whenunlocked, providing portions adapted to be grasped for stripping saidside flaps apart, for collapsing said container to expose its contents.

2. A tapered container formed from a onepiece, folded, cardboard blankof generally trapezoidal shape capable of being cut from a stock sheetin .alternately reversed, substantially abutting positions to reducewastage and comprising a bottom, a pair of tapered side walls'extendingfrom opposite sides of said bottom toward the parallel bases of saidblank respective- .ly, a pair of relatively narrow side flaps. extendingoppositely from said side wall adjacent the narrow base of said blank, asecond pair of relatively wide side flaps having substantially the fullwidth of the container and extending oppositely from said other sidewall adjacent the wide base of said blank and overlapping and glued tothe outer side of said first pair of side flaps to form a second pair ofside walls, the area of gluing of said side flaps being limited by thewidth of said narrow flaps to facilitate stripping the closure flapsbeing glued together in pairs and provided with means for interlockingengagement with each other and, when unlocked, providlng portionsadapted to be grasped for stripping said side fiaps apart, forcollapsing said container to expose its contents.

3. A tapered container formed from a onepiece folded cardboard blank orgenerally trapezoidal shape capable of being cut from a stock sheet inalternately reversed, substantially abutting positions to reduce wastageand comprising a bottom, a pair of tapered side walls extending fromopposite sides of said bottom toward the parallel bases of said blank,respectively, a pair of relatively narrow side flaps extendingoppositely from said side wall adjacent the narrow base of said blank, asecond pair of relatively wide side fiaps having substantially the fullwidth of the container and extending oppositely from said other sidewall adjacent the wide base of said blank and overlapping and glued tothe outer side of said first pair of side flaps to form a second pair ofside walls, the side walls of said first pair being wider than those ofsaid second pair, the lateral edges of said side flaps on each side ofsaid blank lying substantially parallel with each other in blank form,the gluing of said side flaps being limited by the width of said narrowflaps to facilitate stripping the same apart, lines of weakening formedin the outer of said side flaps adjacent the edges of the inner of saidside flaps to terminate stripping of surface fibers, a pair of flapsextending oppositely from said bottom and overlapping and partiallyglued to the outer side of said second pair of side walls but having afree portion adapted to be grasped for stripping the same free of saidside walls, a pair of inner top closure fiaps on said first pair of sidewalls, a pair of outer top closure flaps on said wide and narrow sideflaps of each of said second pair of side walls, said outer top closureflaps being glued together in pairs and provided with means forinterlocking engagement with each other and, when unlocked, providingportions adapted to be grasped for stripping said side flaps apart, forcollapsing said container to expose its contents.

WILLIAM H. INMAN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,567,7 0. January 2 19L WILLIAM H. INMAN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patentrequiring correction-as follows: In the drawing, Sheet 2, Figure 10should appear as shown below instead of -as in the patent and that thesaid Letters Patent should be read with'this correction therein that thesame may conform to the record of the casein thePatent Office.

Signed and sealed this 19th day oi June, A. D. 1915.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

